Heaven (in gelato form)

I spent last week in Italy, eating my way through a couple cities and visiting friends. The train connection afforded us a little layover in Milan, so I seized the opportunity to seek out that great mecca of gelato, Chocolat. As its name implies, they specialize in the chocolaty gelato flavors, including my all-time favorite, … Read more

What you’re missing by not watching DSDS

Edited to add: unfortunately YouTube removed the video that went along with this post. Just imagine someone singing The Cars’ “Drive” with a mouth full of rocks or belting out “Another Day in Paradise” as if it were a sexy, sexy love song (complete with hip swivels). The one TV show that we watch regularly … Read more

Fabulous news for Switzerland’s glaciers

My fellow environmentalists will surely join me in celebrating this major breakthrough today: funding has been secured for extensive research into captive glacier breeding experiments. The research will take place in Alaska and will be the first of its kind. We can only hope it will lead to the glacier repopulation that is so desperately … Read more

Grub in New Orleans

I was lucky enough to be accompanied by a native Louisianian, Jami, on my journey to New Orleans. I hit her up for recommendations on everything from bars to local delicacies, and her knowledge did not disappoint. My only regret is that we didn’t have time for the drag queen brunch in the quarter. A … Read more

In which I fall victim to Swiss hairdryer wind disease

This morning when I woke up, I didn’t feel quite right. It wasn’t a headache, or nausea, or anything I could really put my finger on, but something was wrong. By this afternoon, I still wasn’t feeling better, but I headed out to meet some friends for drinks anyway. On the walk there I felt … Read more

Gutting New Orleans

During my recent trip I had the privilege of spending an afternoon working on a service project with Hands On New Orleans. This amazing group organizes volunteers day in and day out to help rebuild a city which seems to have been forgotten by almost everyone. Volunteers (and voluntourists) from around the country and beyond … Read more

How long until the mall rats move in?

The long-awaited Sihlcity is finally open. The heralded new structure is large and contains retail shops, eateries, AND a cinema. All under one roof. How wacky is that? This article in SwissInfo gives us the inside scoop: Zurich’s tourist board has already hailed the complex as a unique entertainment concept and expects it to be … Read more

St. Patrick’s Day in the Quarter

My trip to New Orleans happened to coincide with St. Patrick’s Day, and thus the St. Patrick’s Day parade. This holiday in the French Quarter is much like it is in other cities in the US, with green beer, green clothing, green kilts, and green drunks. The parade is nowhere near the grand scale of … Read more

Home, with jetlag

I arrived back in Zurich this morning after an overnight flight from Atlanta. I’m happy to be back in the land of sparkling water, public transportation, and most importantly, my own bed. Oh yeah, and it’s good to see the husband again, too. Now I am faced with the daunting task of keeping myself awake … Read more